Patricia O’Callaghan has been named as Tourism and Events Queensland’s new Chief Executive Officer.
Ms O’Callaghan, currently the CEO of Destination Gold Coast and before that CEO of Townsville Enterprise Limited, will start the role in January following an extensive search and brings extensive experience in the tourism industry to TEQ.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Ms O’Callaghan brings years of experience to the role.
“Patricia will head up our state’s lead tourism marketing organisation and lead it through the post-COVID-19 tourism landscape where we are well positioned to cement our reputation as Australia’s best holiday destination,” the Premier said.
“It’s also a really exciting time as we race towards the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics which is expected to bring a $4.6 billion boost to trade and tourism for our state.
“I congratulate Patricia on her new role and look forward to working with her as we continue our post-COVID economic recovery and promoting Queensland around the world.”
Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said Ms O’Callaghan had an expert understanding of Queensland’s visitor economy.
“As Tourism Minister, I’ve worked closely with Ms O’Callaghan in her previous leadership roles at Destination Gold Coast and Townsville Enterprise Limited,” Mr Hinchliffe said.
“Ms O’Callaghan knows what appeals to visitors and has a clear understanding of what makes Queensland’s competitive domestic and global tourism markets tick.
“With an intimate knowledge of the diversity of the State’s visitor experiences, Ms O’Callaghan is an obvious choice to lead TEQ and turbo-charge Queensland’s tourism recovery.”
Mr Hinchliffe thanked Leanne Coddington for her nine years as the CEO of Tourism and Events Queensland.
“Ms Coddington’s tourism expertise has been tremendously valuable to operators navigating the once-in-a-lifetime challenges of the pandemic,” he said.
“I want to thank Leanne for 25 years of service to the Queensland tourism industry and wish her well for the next chapter.”
TEQ Chair Brett Godfrey said Ms O’Callaghan would be tasked with guiding TEQ and the wider Queensland tourism industry through the post-COVID era.
“This was an extensive recruitment process and we couldn’t be more excited about Trish coming on board as TEQ’s next CEO,” he said.
“TEQ and the Queensland tourism industry is perfectly placed to capitalise on the opportunities ahead of us, including maximising the tourism value of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and Trish is the right person to guide TEQ through that exciting phase.”
Ms O’Callaghan said she was excited to get started.
“I am a passionate Queenslander that is grateful to have to worked in an industry that has taken me from the Outback, to North Queensland and more recently to the Gold Coast where I have met and learned from so many dedicated and passionate tourism operators who love this state,” she said.
“It’s an honour to take the reins of an organisation that has led the way in destination marketing both domestically and globally, and one that under Leanne’s stewardship has shown great resilience and leadership – particularly over the last nearly three years when the industry was forced to navigate such uncharted waters.
“I look forward to working with the industry to drive strong visitation growth to Queensland, in what will be an extremely competitive landscape as travel confidence returns.
“There is so much opportunity ahead of us, particularly with the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics, and there is much work to be done and I am excited and committed to serving this industry through these exciting times.”
Ms Coddington said leading TEQ over the past nine years had been a privilege.
“We live in the best address on Earth so being able to market that to the world, and encourage as many people as possible to come here and experience it for themselves, has truly been a dream job,” she said.
“I’ve never ceased to be amazed at the resilience and optimism of our industry, and I can’t wait to see our visitor economy thrive into the future.”
